esteemed marks, is nevertheless adulterated both as regards its composition and its trade-mark. Chevallier* distinguishes between the Italian, the Spanish, and the French succ. glycyrr., but of late years large manufactories have also been established in Greece and Asia Minor. He adds also, that there exists besides these another group of succ. glyccrr. prepared by fabricants (les refondeurs) who purchase it from the large manufactories in order to dissolve and mix it with different farinaceous substances or ordinary gums,† and occasionally perhaps with the juice of different fruits, as plums, carob beans, chestnuts, etc. The adulteration with meal may be easily detected, since the greater amount remains on being treated with cold water, whereas the adulteration with substances soluble in cold water are more difficult to detect, and gum is one of the latter. The following case was the cause of these investigations. In the Danish Pharmacopoeia there are two preparations, viz., liquor pectoralis and tinctura opii benzoica §, which, when mixed together in equal portions, is a pectoral remedy much employed and much used by physicians. The mixture is not clear, but quickly deposits a sediment, and can || then be easily filtered clear. At the commencement of this winter it happened that I could not get such a mixture to turn as clear as usually. It precipitated white streaks on the glass in which it was being mixed, which, however, immediately afterwards disappeared; while on the other hand my efforts to filter the mixture clear were unsuccessful. The white streaks at once directed my attention to gum, but the interesting conclusions I arrived at, whilst making the investigation, induced me to extend it to several other kinds of liquorice, as well as to a closer study of the drug. I was the more stimulated to do so from a conversation I held by chance with the representative of one of the larger French liquorice manufactories, who stated that it was

'Dictionnaire des Altérations et Falsifications." A. Chevallier et Baudrimont. Paris, 1878. P. 1057.

See Appendix.

Treatment with iodine is not sufficient, because amylum is found in liquorice root.

$ The composition of liquor pectoralis is:-Extractum glycyrrhizæ pars una solvatur in aqua fœniculi part. iii., solutio seponatur et probe conquassetur cum spir. ammoniac. anisati parte una. The composition of tinct. opii benz.

is :

The mixture is not filtered before it is dispensed, because the sediment contains morphia.

his opinion, that gum as a rule is added to liquorice juice, when the latter is to be made up into cylindrical sticks, in order to make it durable and improve its appearance.

Mr. Schleisner, Cand. Pharm., rendered me his assistance in carrying out the investigation, and Mr. Rützau, Cand. Pharm., made the microscopic drawings. I have much pleasure in tender

ing these gentlemen my best thanks.

The different samples of succ. glycyrr., which were experimented upon, were bought at different places and all bore the mark "Baracco;" they were all of them of the usual cylindrical stick form, with the exception of 4*, which is in pieces of the shape of a brick, weighing 5 kilograms each, and H, which is an extraction of liquorice root with cold water in the ordinary extract form, that my colleague, Assessor Pharmacia Piper, has been so kind as to let me have, as he had just prepared some of it.

Physical Description.

A. Brick-formed pieces, very tough, shiny on the surface.

B. Friable, shiny.

C. Friable, shiny.

D. Friable, shiny.

E. Friable, shiny.

F. Friable, shiny.

G. Very tough, shiny.

H. Ordinary extract form.

First Experiment.-10 grams of each sort were weighed and dried for 15 hours at 100° C.

66

* I received the latter from MM. Abauzit Perdrix and Aubressy, Uzès, France, whose manufactory is at Mequinenza, Spain. Pharmacographia,' page 161, says, that liquorice paste is largely imported from Spain and Asia Minor, but on account of a certain bitterness is unsuited for use as a sweetmeat; what I have received has as sweet and agreeable a taste as the finest liquorice.

Second Experiment.-Determination of Ash.

A certain part of each liquorice sample was weighed and cal

Third Experiment.-Maceration in Cold Water.

Ten grams of each sample were macerated at an ordinary temperature in 100 grams of water during twelve hours, and then filtered, and the undissolved residue washed with 200 grams of water, so that succ. glycyrrh. was extracted by water in the proportion of 1 30.

:

The liquorice was cut in small pieces, which showed, on being dissolved, the following peculiarities:-

A. Very tough and sticky; cling fast to the side of the glass; give a turbid solution.

B. The pieces remain in the original form on the bottom of the glass (do not fall away), become nearly colourless and a clear black liquid covers them.

C. Do not stick to the glass; go into powder in the water. Very turbid solution.

D. Same state as in C.

E. The pieces remain very tough and sticky, and although not so tough as those in A, must nevertheless be shaken a good deal before they dissolve.

F. Same as in C and D.

G. Tough and sticky.

H. Are clearly dissolved in water. The solutions B, C, D and H are comparatively quickly filtered; A, E, F and G, on the contrary, very slowly.

The insoluble residue was dried at 100° C. and thereupon weighed.

By adding the amount of moisture contained and the insoluble residue together, and subtracting the quotient from the employed weight of succ. glycyrrh., one gets the figure of the amount of true extract that is contained in it in a dry state. following table.

This is shown in the

After the amount of water had been determined in this manner, as well as the amount of residue which was insoluble in cold water by maceration, and the real quantity of extract, I commenced the investigation of the last mentioned to try if it contained gum, and if so to ascertain the amount, to which end I first precipitated the watery extract with alcohol.

Fourth Experiment.-Behaviour of the Aqueous Extract to Alcohol.

The extracted solutions, produced as before mentioned by 10 grams of each sample treated by cold maceration with 100 grams of water and washed with 200 grams of water, were evaporated to 100 grams, and each of them was precipitated by an amount of alcohol (specific gravity, 0-830) equal to four times the volume of the liquorice juice. The precipitates were collected and washed

with alcohol until the latter ran off in a colourless state, and they were thereupon dried at 100° C. and weighed.

The Appearance of the Precipitates produced by Alcohol, and of the Liquid which was obtained by Filtration therefrom.

Fifth Experiment.—Determination of the Amount of Sugar.

The watery inspissated solution of succ. glycyrrh. was mixed with Barreswill's liquid, and the mixture placed at an ordinary temperature until the following day; an abundant precipitation of cuprous oxide took place. Estimation of sugar was carried out in all the

samples.

The solution, which was employed for the purpose, was of the following composition :

34 639 grams crystallized cupric-sulphate,

200 c.c. distilled water,

100 grams glycerine,

488 c.c. solution of soda [Na H0];

the whole diluted to 1000 c.c.

A weighed sample of each liquorice solution was boiled with the copper solution, and quickly filtered, and washed with boiling water, after which the cuprous oxdie converted into cupric oxide was calcinated, the necessary precautions being regarded.